Romney’s Not-So-Secret Meeting With MI6

Mitt Romney walks out of 10 Downing Street after meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, Thursday, July 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

LONDON–Mitt Romney met privately with the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service — also known as the MI6 — Thursday to discuss the civil unrest in Syria.

“I appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6,” Mr. Romney told reporters Thursday. “We discussed Syria and the hope for a more peaceful future for that country.”

But MI6 chief Sir John Sawers’s meetings are often conducted quietly, and afterwards, neither MI6 or the Romney campaign would confirm or deny the meeting.

“Sir John Sawers meets with lots of people,” said an aide in Britain’s foreign press office, “but we don’t give a running commentary of any of these meetings.”

The meeting with the MI6 chief wasn’t disclosed in the list of scheduled visits released to the press and only came to light after the Republican presidential hopeful mentioned it in a brief press conference outside of 10 Downing Street.

After Mr. Romney mentioned the meeting, his campaign declined to discuss it further. “The governor expressed who he met with today,” said a senior adviser who is traveling with Mr. Romney.

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